Special
by Storming.The.Castle
Summary: What they had was special. They had something that people wait half their lives for, something others never truly discover. They had a true, pure, innocent love.
1. Introduction

What they had was special. It wasn't your typical teenage romance that lasted 3 months. It was anything but that. They had something that people wait half their lives for, something others never truly discover. They had a true, pure, innocent love. Yes, that was it. A true love that was so pure and unbelievably innocent. That is exactly what Joe Lamb and Alice Dainard had.

I guess we start during the summer of 1979. The beginning. You all know the story of how the summer began. That's not what this story is about. This is... the aftermath of that event, which would leave a mark on everyone's life forever. But I'm getting ahead of myself... or behind. Anyway, back to the story.

The rest of the summer was just the mere beginning of the story, but there's a beginning to every story for a reason, isn't there? Now, onto the story...

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**AN- So, I know I shouldn't start this, but I'm going to. This was just the intro, the first chapter will be up soon. Promise:) Oh, by the way, I changed my pen name:)**


	2. The Beginning

It had been exactly a week since that night when they had stood and watched the alien fade into the twinkling stars. The town of Lillian was slowly being rebuilt. But Joe Lamb and Alice Dainard had not spoken a single word to each other during that week. They weren't necessarily avoiding each other. Everyone was pretty busy around town, especially them.

For Alice, that week had been full of cleaning. Her father had finally gained some initiative and decided to fix up the house. Alice was more than willing to help, seeing that it kept her father too busy to take a trip down to the local bar. The only downside to this was that it was very time consuming and kept her from other things.

Joe found himself just as busy. He spent the week helping his father around town, repainting houses and buildings and signs. Joe, like Alice, was glad to lend a helping hand. The rebuilding committee noticed his talent for painting and asked him to work longer than the three days he originally volunteered for. And Joe, being the person he was, couldn't say no. Unfortunately, he noticed, repainting the signs and houses and such isn't the kind of thing you do and then go on your merry way. It took up quite a lot of time, therefore keeping him preoccupied from other things.

And so we begin, a week after the... "incident". It was a late June afternoon in Lillian. The sun beat down on the whole town, not a corner left in darkness, a layer of fiery heat in its wake.

Alice Dainard was walking along a road on her way to the hardware store. Her dad had sent her in search of a new hammer, and what better place to find one than Lillian Hardware? She pushed open the door and was met by a rush of cool air as she stepped in the store. The tiny bell atop the door jingled as it slowly swung shut. She greeted the man behind the counter and browsed down the aisle. She finally found exactly what she was looking for. She grabbed the hammer off the rack and walked up to the cashier. She paid him quickly and left. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon and she wanted to get home before it got dark. She was scared to be out alone in the dark ever since the incident.

She wasn't looking where she was going and barged out the door, and straight into someone else, knocking them both onto the ground. She found herself sprawled against the cement sidewalk, knees and hands scraped. The events of what had just happened registered in her head and she jumped to her feet, turning towards the person she had just ran into. And of all the people in Lillian Ohio, that person just had to be Joe Lamb.

She watched as he slowly drew himself to his feet and turned around. She was sure her expression must've mirrored his exactly. Shocked and confused and... happy? They stood there, staring at each other, not knowing what to say. After all, what do you say to someone who risked their life to save yours only a week ago? What do you say to the person who's eyes you awoke to in a dark, damp underground cavern, terrified and scared to death? What do you say to the courageous boy who faced an alien to save not only himself, but a whole town of people? What do you say to the boy you like who you don't even really know? What do you say?

And so, she didn't say anything. She stood there and stared, as did he. Alice lost track of how long they were standing there in silence, but her guess was at least 5, maybe 10 minutes. And then he finally spoke.

"Hi." He said. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips and she started laughing. He looked confused which made her laugh even more. She finally gained control and smiled. He still looked confused, and she couldn't help but think it was cute.

"You saved my life, then we don't speak for a whole week, and the first thing you could think to say is 'hi'?" She asked. His eyes cleared with realization and he smiled at her. She laughed again and shook her head.

"Hi Joe. How have you been?" She asked as she entered the hardware shop with him. She ignored the strange look the man behind the counter gave her as she walked towards the back of the store with Joe.

"I've been good. Everything's pretty chaotic around here lately. I spent the last week helping with the rebuilding." He said, grabbing a few paint brushes from the shelf. He stood up and turned towards Alice. His eyes were dead serious. "But how have you been Alice?" He asked, concern dripping from every word. Her eyes found a spot on the ground particularly interesting. She was hoping to avoid this subject entirely, but it was going to come up sooner or later.

"I've been good. Kind of busy. I've been helping my dad fix up the house." She said as they made their way towards the front of the store. She wasn't lying. She had been good. At least, during the day, when there was light and people and it seemed as though the whole thing had been a dream- or a nightmare, more precisely. But when night fell upon the town, she would lay in her bed, paralyzed with fear. The darkness is what scared her. You never know what could be hiding in the darkness. And the nightmares. The nightmares were the worst. When she finally did manage to fall asleep, she'd just wake up screaming not even an hour later. They were all so real, so vivid.

"Alice?" Joe said, waving a hand in front of her face. Her eyes snapped up to meet his. They were full of worry.

"Sorry, must've spaced out." She said, walking out of the hardware store. He followed right behind her. They walked down the street side-by-side, talking about the past week and everything the two had done. They got to the corner of Sycamore and Evergreen, where they both had to go seperate ways. Alice turned towards Joe.

"Well, I've gotta go. It was great talking to you Joe." She said, turning to walk down the street. She felt Joe grab her shoulder, stopping her. She turned around and faced him. He had the same expression as before, worried and concerned.

"Alice... are you sure you're okay?" He asked. A silence settled over the two as the questions settled in Alice's mind. Truthfully, she didn't even know herself. Was she okay? Probably not. She opened her mouth to say something when her eyes caught his. They were like an open book, the personal guide to Joe Lamb. You could always see exactly what he felt, what he thought. And right then, they were so full of care. She closed her mouth and tore her eyes from his. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him she wasn't alright. She put on the most convincing smile she could muster and nodded, looking slightly past his head, avoiding his smoldering brown eyes at any costs.

"Yeah, I'm fine Joe." She said. She looked down at her feet before daring to look at his eyes one last time. She saw the doubt in them, the disbelief, laced with the worry from before. He smiled at her nonetheless and nodded. Before she realized what she was doing, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck. She felt him wrap his arms around her too.

"I'm okay Joe. I promise." She whispered, her voice tight and strained. It was obviously a lie, but she couldn't care less.

"Okay Alice." He whispered back. She released him and stepped back. By now, dusk was setlling in, the sky fading from a brilliant blue to a dull gray, mixed with a tinge of misty pink. "Bye Alice." Joe said, turning to walk down the street.

"Wait." She said, her voice acting before her brain even processed what she was saying. She had one last thing to say, the thing she should've said first. Her body acted of its own accord and grabbed his hand. He turned around and looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion. She stepped closer to him so she was right in front of him before she leaned up ever so slightly on her toes and kissed his cheek. She backed away as the blush crept up her neck, the warmth flooding her cheeks.

"Thank you." She said. And it was understood what she meant. Thank you for saving my life. She looked up at him. He had a ghost of a smile on his face and his cheeks were the lightest shade of pink.

"Your welcome." He said. She could tell he knew exactly what she meant. She looked up at him completely and let the smallest of smiles grace her features before turning and running down Sycamore Lane. The faster she ran, the wider the smile became.

And this was the beginning of something special.

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**AN-**** Well there you have it, the beginning of something special:] Okay, that was cheesy, but still. I'll keep writing this no matter what, so it doesn't _really_ matter if you review or not, but it'd make me feel ALL WARM AND FUZZY:) So please do:) And before anyone goes to hit me with a can of peaches, DON'T WORRY! I have NOT abandoned Meeting Haylie Matthews, Interrupted, or Parenting A Fake Baby 101. I just merely gave birth to this new story:) So, REVIEW PLEASE:) I'll LOVE YOU**


	3. Swings, Football, & Fireworks

**A.N.- Hey, so I LIED, AND I'M SORRY, FAMILY EMERGENCY, HOSPITALS... yeah. But here's chapter 2 of Special :) It's my favorite story I've ever written, so enjoy!**

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And now we continue our story. The next time Alice and Joe saw each other was the 4th of July. The Lamb's were throwing their annual party. Every summer since Joe could even remember, their closest and dearest friends had come over and they would have the traditional barbeque, complete with football and at night, they'd hold their own little fireworks show, courtesy of Cary and his family. And this year would be no different.

The town of Lillian had been thoroughly restored. There were things here and there like the film shop that still needed work, but most places, especially Mr. Duncan's ice cream parlor, were back up and running and better than ever. The "incident" never slowed anyone or anything down in Lillian. The people of the small Ohio town wouldn't let it stop them, and the Lamb's annual 4th of July Barbeque would be no exception.

By 5 PM sharp on July 4, 1979, the Lamb's backyard was set up, all ready for the festivities to begin. Five boys sat under the shade of an oak tree on a tiny hill in the yard. They had spent the majority of the afternoon decorating and preparing. Red, white, and blue covered every surface possible and tables were set up on the far side near the house. The fireworks, thanks to Cary, had been set up on the opposite side, as far away from anything flammable as possible. They admired their handiwork as the guests started to arrive.

"I can't wait until tonight, man, just wait and see the shit that I brought, it's gonna be gnarly!" Cary said, putting his hands up to the sky, envisioning the explosives that would later light the night sky.

"Shut up, nobody cares!" Charles complained, being his usual pessimistic self.

"Hey, do you guys see my mom yet?" Martin asked, standing up and looking at the crowd of people that had walked through the door.

"No, but she should be arriving soon. According to my observations from the past four years, your parents are always the last ones to arrive due to their safety precautions." Preston babbled, standing to join Martin. "And it appears that I'm right. They're the only ones that aren't here." This earned the attention of the rest of the boys. They all got to their feet and searched through the people taking their seats at the picnic tables. From the Kaznyk clan to the Grant's, the usual attendees had arrived. Joe noticed a particular guest that was missing.

"They aren't last to come though. Alice still isn't here." He said, walking down the hill towards the tables.

"What? Alice as in Alice Dainard?" Cary asked as they all ran to catch up with Joe.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's not exactly a secret that her dad and yours don't get along. Like, at all." Charles said. Joe just shrugged. Nobody knew that the two had become... acquaintances of some sort. And, in the honor of new beginnings and starting over, Joe had suggested they invite Alice and her dad to the party. Deputy Lamb hadn't been exactly thrilled, but he did see his son's point, and so the Dainard's were added to the guest list.

"I don't know, after everything... why not, right?" He said as they sat down at a picnic table that was a bit separated from the rest. Preston was about to respond when Mr. Lamb stood up.

"Welcome, friends, to our annual Independence Day Barbeque! It's my pleasure to have you all here and enjoy the holiday together. Now, who's ready for some food?" Mr. Lamb said. Everyone clapped as they started grilling up the food. Everyone who knew Jackson Lamb knew he was not a man of many words.

"Joe, can you go get some more plastic cups from the kitchen?" Mr. Lamb said more than asked as he walked past his son. Joe sighed, but stood up anyway.

"I'll be right back guys." He said, walking towards the sliding doors. He heard an outburst of laughter come from a table to the right and turned that way, distracted. He opened the door and went to walk inside, but instead he found himself walking straight into something, or someone. A second later he was on the floor, laying on top of the person he had bumped into.

"Oh jeez, I'm sorry." He said, shoving himself off the person and sitting on the ground next to them. He shook his hair which had became slightly disheveled in the fall. The person he ran into sat up next to him.

"We should stop meeting like this." He heard her say. He recognized that voice, he'd know it from anywhere without a second thought or hesitation. It was the voice belonging to the one and only Alice Dainard. He looked over and sure enough, there she was. Her blond hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, not even looking slightly out of place. She wore a pale blue-green dress. It was such a plain dress with such a simple design, but it was perfect. Or maybe that was just her. She turned to look at him, her blue eyes that matched the color of the dress looking at him, a spark in them that was 100% Alice. She looked at him, her eyes widening slightly and her eyebrows arching, creating a confused look. It was then that he realized he was staring at her and had been for quite a while. He stuttered and blushed and stumbled to his feet, holding his hand out for her.

"Sorry." He mumbled, embarrassed at the fact that she had just caught him staring at her. She smiled shyly before taking his hand. He pulled her up to her feet.

"It's no problem. I should really watch where I'm going." She said, dusting off her dress, making sure everything was orderly and she looked presentable. She looked up to find him looking away, the same tinge of red shading his cheeks and she couldn't help but let her smile grow. He was too cute. Everything he did drove her nuts. All he had to do was blush and she was smiling like an idiot. She liked him, there was no denying that. How could she not? Everything about him just drew her in deeper and made her fall for him even harder. It sounded stupid and girly, but it was true.

"So, we're all sitting at the table on the left. The guys are all there. It's a bit distanced from the crowd, but if you want to sit with us..." He said, tripping over his own words, trying to spit out a decent sentence. He scratched the back of his neck and looked at her for the first time since she caught him staring. She had never really noticed the color of his eyes before. They were brown, she had known that, but they weren't dark like most. They were a light brown, like an amber color. That's it, amber. They were hypnotizing seas of amber and she could swim in them forever. 'What. Alice Dainard, get a grip on yourself. Don't get all mushy now.' She told herself in her mind. It was then that she realized he had asked her a question and was waiting for a response.

"That'd be great." She said. She walked past him and out the door. She saw the table that all the guys were at. She turned to say something to Joe, but he had vanished without a trace to be found. She shrugged started making her way to the table with those 4 goofballs that were starting to grow on her. They were currently throwing something at each other across the table, laughing and smiling and having fun. She shook her head before sitting down next to Cary.

"Hey guys." She said, suddenly feeling a tad shy and overwhelmed. After all, she hadn't seen any of them since the alien incident. They turned in her direction. They all smiled slightly except Charles who didn't even really acknowledge the fact she was there.

"Hey Alice. How've you been?" Cary asked.

"I've been good. You?"

"I've been alright." After that a thick and tense silence settled over the five of them. What was Alice even supposed to say? 'Oh, hey, all of you- well, almost all of you- risked your lives to go against an angry alien just because Joe wanted to save me. I should probably thank you for that.' No. That'd be awkward. So they sat there in awkward silence until Joe arrived.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" He asked, sitting on the opposite side of Alice, leaning on the table expecting to hear about an argument involving Cary and Charles or something of the sort.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Martin said monotonously. Joe looked surprised. And he was. These four never shut up on a regular basis. It's a miracle to get them to stop talking for a whole minute. And it was a barbeque, you weren't supposed to sit there and do nothing. Yet here they were, sitting in an awkward silence. He leaned on his elbows on the table and turned more towards Cary.

"Excited for the fireworks?" He asked. He watched as Cary's eyes lit up and a smile spread wide across his face. He started jumping up and down in his seat, like a five year old on their birthday waiting for their cake and presents.

"You have no idea! It's gonna be awesome. You should see the stuff I got my hands on. It's gonna be better than anything you've ever seen! From me, anyway." Cary said. He then rambled on and on about the fireworks. This resulted in rude comments from Charles, random remarks from Martin, and useless facts from Preston, creating the typical conversation. Joe laughed and looked at Alice who was silently laughing at the bunch. The sun was starting to set and everyone was enjoying their food and a good conversation.

"Do you want to go somewhere and get away." He whispered in her ear. She turned towards him, surprised.

"Where?" She asked. He thought about it for a second. They were in a backyard, and to be honest, there wasn't many places to go. Then he thought of the perfect place.

"Come on." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her from her seat.

"And aw, look, the lovebirds are leaving. THANKS FOR DITCHING US!" Cary teased as Joe pulled her in the direction of the side of the house.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously. He just kept pulling her along until they reached their destination. It was the two swings on the side of the house where his mother had played with him all the time when he was a toddler. He gestured to it.

"Ta-da. Sit down." He said, pointing to the smaller swing. She did as she was told as he leaned on the bar on the side. "My mom used to play with me all the time when I was a little kid. She'd always push me on the swing." He said, reminiscing on all the old memories.

Alice looked down when he mentioned his mom. In the short time they had known each other, she had gathered he didn't like to talk about her much. She was never really brought up after that night when they had watched the old home movies. Then again, they hadn't seen each other much since. She looked up at him. He had that far away look in his eye, a look that told her he was remembering. She swallowed and looked at the ground.

"Joe?" She said quietly.

"Yeah." She turned her face up to look at him. Blue eyes met brown ones. "I'm always here if you want to talk about her. You know that, right?" She said. Her voice held truth and her eyes serious. He nodded, a small smile, almost non-existent, appearing on his face. He pushed off the bar and walked closer to her.

"Yeah, I do." He said, grabbing the chains to the swing. "You know, we haven't seen each other much since that one night..." He said, trailing off. She understood. The night with the movies.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that." She said, kicking her legs slightly. He walked around to face her. She looked up at him. He had a real smile on his face now and a gleam in his eye.

"We'll just have to change that then." He said, walking backwards, still holding the chains. She felt herself being pulled forward and upwards with each step he took.

"Joseph Lamb, what do you think you're doing?" She asked, looking at the ground as she realized she couldn't touch it anymore.

"Nothing. Just walking backwards." He said slyly. Then he let go and stepped to the side as she started swinging backwards. Then forwards. Then backwards again. And with each swing she couldn't help but smile and laugh. She looked at Joe and he had a wide smile spread across his face and he was laughing at her happiness.

"Oh shut it Lamb, you know you're just jealous I'm on the swing and you're not." She teased, laughing and kicking her legs to the rhythm of the swing.

"If I was jealous, I could just do this." He said, sitting on the swing next to hers. He started swinging beside her and soon enough they were both laughing and smiling and having a good time. It was childish, but it was fun. Childish fun. Alice couldn't even remember the last time she had been on a swing.

"I bet I can swing higher than you!" She heard Joe yell from beside her. She looked to her side and saw him trying to swing higher and faster.

"Oh no you can't!" She yelled, using extra force in her legs and pulling her weight forward. Her rhythm matched his in no time and they were swinging side by side by now. She laughed, feeling immensely guilty for the fact she found pleasure in all of this.

"Jump!" He yelled. She looked over, not quite sure if she had heard him right.

"What? Are you crazy?" She yelled back. He shook his head.

"Nope. Let's do it together. On the count of three. Ready?" He asked, looking over. There was something in his eyes that reassured her. Something that challenged her, invited her. And she accepted.

"Ready!" She called back, looking ahead again.

"One! Two! Three!" They yelled together, jumping off at the very end. For a second Alice felt like she was flying through the air and she giggled at the feeling. It was pure happiness. She never had moments like these in her childhood. She never had any friends to jump off of swings with. Hell, she didn't even own a swing set as a child. And now, in that moment, she just wanted to freeze time and remember that feeling. But of course, she couldn't.

They both hit the ground. Alice landed on her feet but lost her balance and fell over onto her side, consumed by a tidal wave of giggles and smiles and happiness. Joe was beside her on the ground in a fit of laughter as well. They both caught their breath from all the laughter and rolled over onto their stomachs.

"We should probably get back." Alice said reluctantly. She folded her hands over on the grass and leaned down on them, looking up at Joe who had sat up and was pulling at the grass.

"Yeah, they're gonna start football soon." Joe said, slowly pushing himself off the ground.

"Football! Why was I not informed of this? Come on!" She said, jumping to her feet faster than Joe thought possible. He laughed as she yanked him to his feet and they ran, laughing and smiling to the backyard, where sure enough, everyone was choosing teams. They ran and blended in with the line up.

"Where'd you guys go?" Charles asked as Joe stepped next to him.

"Nowhere." He said. Things had honestly changed since Alice came around. Joe knew Charles liked her, and it was quite obvious he still did. Not only did that affect their friendship, but there was the fact that Alice brought out a different side in him. He was more assertive. Joe and Charles had quite the simple friendship. They'd known each other since kindergarten. Charles was always the one in charge, the boss, and Joe had always been his second-hand man, the sidekick. And he had always been fine with Charles taking the glory, taking center stage while he stood to the side in the shadows, but lately, Joe felt that he was worth more than that. He deserved some credit. Charles always needed it to be his way. It was his way or no way. And Joe didn't want to put up with it anymore. Alice had shown him that he should have his moments in the spotlight too. And Charles wasn't exactly fond of the new philosophy.

"Whatever." Charles said, clearly annoyed. Joe just ignored it and turned towards Alice.

"So, you're seriously gonna play?" He asked. She nodded, crossing her arms.

"Of course. Why, am I not allowed to?" She asked, her eyes taunting him, just daring him to say no.

"You are, you totally are. I've just never seen a girl play football." He said. And it was true. Every girl in Lillian was all make-up and clothes and parties and boys. Jen Kaznyk was the perfect example of the typical Lillian High girl. Alice Dainard was the exception. She didn't need make up. She didn't care about cool clothes or raging parties or obsess over boys like every other girl. There was more to her than the shallow exterior Joe saw in every other girl in this small town. She was different.

"Well you're about to. Okay, let's pick teams." She said, grabbing the ball from Cary and walking in front of the line up. "Do we have volunteers for captains?" She asked. Nearly every boy in the line up raised their hand. She looked from the right to the left, and back to the right. "I say... Joe and Charles are captains." She said, handing the ball to Joe. He took it and walked out next to Charles.

"Okay, I pick Cary." Charles said. Joe rolled his eyes, no surprise there. Cary high-fived Evan Hughes as he walked over to Charles.

"Yeah, first pick baby!" He said, bragging. Everyone just rolled their eyes and told him to shut up.

"Alice." The rest of the guys in the line up ooh-ed as Alice walked next to Joe.

"Thanks." She whispered to him.

"No problem." He whispered back, smiling at her. She smiled and looked back at the group, eyeing the boys.

"John." She whispered, standing on her toes to reach his ear. Joe was confused and looked at her.

"What?"

"John. Pick John." She whispered.

"I pick... Evan." Charles said.

"John." Joe said. He looked over at Alice again. She mouthed 'Peter' and he nodded, smiling.

"Tom." Charles said.

"Peter." And that left Martin and Preston.

"Hmmm... I guess I'll go with Preston." Charles said.

"Martin." Joe said. And they had their teams. It was Joe, Alice, John, Peter, and Martin against Charles, Cary, Evan, Preston, and Tom.

John was a quiet kid that never really talked much, kind of like Joe. His dad was even a police officer as well. The only difference was that he was kind of a loner. He never had many friends. He liked to be alone, that's the way it had always been.

Peter was the exact opposite. He was the bad-boy of Lillian Middle School. The girls compared him to Danny Zuko or whatever from Grease and constantly obsessed over his perfect hair.

Evan was kind of a wimp, but he was good friends with Charles, so it was a no brainer that he picked him.

Then there was Tom, who was the popular guy. He didn't exactly fit in with any other kids at the barbeque, but he knew how to play the game pretty good.

Joe pulled Alice to the side when their team got in a huddle. "Why did you want me to pick John and Peter?" He asked. She looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody else was within hearing distance.

"Because." She said, turning back to him. "I know them. I've seen them play. They may not fit the jock image, but they know the game, they're good." She said. He looked back over at them, not completely convinced quite yet. "Joe." Alice said, getting his attention He turned back to her. She was completely serious. "Trust me." And he did. He nodded.

"Okay. Let's get a game plan going." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling Alice towards the huddle. "So guys, what's the plan." He asked.

"Well, we were thinking Joe can be the quarterback, and Alice, you can be the receiver. Martin will cover you, I'll cover Joe, and Peter will be the main defense. Sound good?" John said. And it did. It was a fool proof plan. Joe smiled and nodded.

"Good." He said. They decided to skip the cheesy break and got in their positions. The other team did a whole chant and break before getting into position. Charles was the quarterback, Cary was the receiver, Evan covered Charles, Preston covered Cary, and Tom stood there, looking pretty pissed off.

"Ready. Blue 23, Green 42 Hike!" Joe called. They all ran. Tom made a feeble attempt to get to Joe which was blocked by Peter. Joe threw the ball to Alice and she ran all the way to the end zone with no trouble at all.

And the game continued like that. Joe's team scored while Charles' team bickered and lost. By the end of the game, Joe's team was up, 27 to 3.

"Alright guys, game's over!" Officer Petty called. They all walked towards the tables as dessert was being prepared by the moms.

"Hey guys, good game." Joe said. Peter and John nodded.

"Yeah, it was. Thanks for picking us instead of your friends, man." Peter said. John just nodded in agreement.

"No problem. See ya later." He said as he and Alice sat at the table. Martin wandered over to his mom. He had been complaining about the grass stain on his shirt. Charles stomped over with Cary and Preston following shortly behind.

"Hey man, it's not my fault you picked the worst people!" Cary argues as they sat down at the table. Charles huffed and crossed his arms.

"Looks like someone's a sore loser." Joe teased. Alice giggled. Charles just looked angrier at his comment.

"Just shut up Lamb, Jesus!" He yelled, attracting more attention.

"Charles, come on, it was just a game." Joe said calmly, holding his hands out in surrender.

"No! It's not just the game! It's everything!" He shouted. By this point pretty much everyone at the barbeque was looking at them.

"Charles, calm down." Alice said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"And it's your fault! Ever since you came along, everything's different. Joe's different, everything is different! So why don't you do us all a favor and just leave!" Charles blew up at Alice, standing up in his fury.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Joe yelled back, standing up as well. Charles not liking Alice, or liking her, or whatever he felt was one thing. Yelling at her in public for no good reason, that was another story.

"Who are you to tell me what to do!" Charles yelled, shoving Joe's chest.

"Well who are you to yell at her! She's done nothing at all and you're yelling at her!" Joe yelled, stepping closer to Charles

"But she has! Don't you see it! She's tearing our friendship apart, and you're too stupid to do anything about it!" Charles yelled at Joe, getting closer to his face.

"She's not the one ruining it, you are!" Joe yelled. At this point, they were face to face and things were about to turn real ugly.

"Hey, break it up!" And of all people in the backyard that day, Louis Dainard was the one to step in. He jogged over to the two and separated them. "This is supposed to be a celebration and you guys are turning it into a fight. Why don't you both go calm down and we can sort this out later." Mr. Dainard said. Joe stepped back and held up his hands.

"Fine by me." He said, slowly making his way back, retreating in small steps. Charles huffed and sat back down, crossing his arms.

"Whatever." He said, clearly still fuming over the subject. Everyone went back to their own activities. Joe looked over at Alice's seat to find her missing.

"Where's Alice?" He asked Cary as quietly as possible, trying to not draw Charles attention. Cary just motioned to the side of the house with his thumb, tracing circles in the table with his other. Joe made his way to the side of the house.

Where had that even come from? Charles had told him he liked Alice. So why did it suddenly seem like he hated her. Joe sighed and shook his head, not understanding it. It just didn't make sense. And everything he said wasn't true. Alice wasn't the one ruining it. Charles was. It seemed like he wasn't even happy anymore. It seemed like everything Joe did annoyed him, especially anything pertaining to Alice. Joe stopped in his tracks when he heard a sniffling sound. In the growing darkness, he made out the figure of a person sitting on the swing, moving back and forth ever so slightly. He heard a sigh and another sniffle, followed by a shaky breath. He walked closer until he could see the long flow of blond hair and the robin-blue colored dress. Alice was the person sitting on the swing. He walked around to face her.

Her head was bent down and her hands were folded in her lap and tears streaked her cheeks. Alice Dainard was crying. Joe sat down on the swing next to hers.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, looking over at her. She wiped at her eyes, trying to hide the evidence of her tears.

"Nothing." She said, her voice almost a whisper.

"You're lying." He said. She wiped at her eyes again and looked up at him. Her eyes were red, puffy and swollen and the trail of tears was evident on her face and she looked so purely upset.

"I'm ruining everything." She said, before she started crying again. It wasn't a sob, it wasn't a sniffle, she was just crying. And it hurt Joe to see her cry, to see her this sad. He stood up and grabbed her hands from her lap.

"No you aren't. You're not ruining anything at all." He said truthfully. She shook her head as the tears started spilling over. She looked down and bit her lip.

"But I am. You heard him. I'm ruining your friendship." She said shakily, letting out a quiet sob. Joe sighed and pulled Alice to her feet, letting go of one of her hands and wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Alice, you're not ruining anything in the slightest. All you did was point out that our friendship isn't normal, or healthy for that matter. You made me see how poorly he treats me. He doesn't even treat me like a friend. You made me realize I'm better than that. And there's nothing wrong with that. He's just jealous." Joe said, trying to get his point across. She looked up at him with those blue eyes that were so full of hurt. And now, confusion added to the mix.

"Of what?" She asked, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"Of me. He's jealous of me. He likes you Alice. Or he did." Joe said. Alice blushed and looked down, sniffling once more.

"Oh." She said before looking up at Joe. "I'm sorry." She said, biting her lip.

"For what?"

"I don't know. I just am." She said, looking down again. Joe could tell she was still sad and upset and hurt. So he did something that surprised him, even. He pulled her right up to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't be. Nothing's your fault. Just ignore Charles. The rest of the guys don't have a problem with you. He only does because he's mad you don't like him. Don't be sorry about not liking him. He'll get over it." Joe soothed her as she wrapped her arms around him too. She sighed and buried her face in his neck and it felt... right. It felt natural. It felt like it was just meant to be, like this was just the way they were supposed to be.

"Hey Joe?" Alice said. She took a deep breath, not sure whether she should say this or not. But what's the worse that could happen? Rejection?

"Yeah Alice?"

She pulled back from the hug. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck, and his around her waist, but she stared into his eyes.

"He's not mad I don't like him. Well, he might be, but I know another reason he's mad."

"And what would that be?"

"He's mad because I like someone else, and he knows it."

"Who do you like?"

It was now or never. Once she admitted it, she wouldn't be able to take it back. It'd be said and done and there'd be no turning back. But she was willing to take that chance.

"I like-"

"There you two are, man, we've been looking all over for you!" Someone said from their right. They jumped apart and turned to face the person who had spoken. And of course, there stood Cary Grant. 'Way to ruin a moment in the making Cary.' Alice thought bitterly to herself as she crossed her arms.

"What do you want Cary?" Joe asked, clearly just as annoyed as Alice was.

"Oh, am I... Interrupting something? Whatever, not like I care, dude, the fireworks are gonna go off soon and if you guys don't hurry, there won't be any dessert left! Oh, guys, you should see Evan right now! He's totally pigging out, it's disgusting! But yeah, you better get back to the party, everyone's looking for you guys." Cary said before running back to the yard.

Alice sighed before turning towards the swings. "We should get back I guess." She said, making her way back to the party.

"Wait." Joe said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back. "You still never told me who you like." He said quietly. Blue met brown for the upteenth time that night, but this time the stare held and it was like the world froze around them. It was the two of them and nothing could disturb or interrupt. It was him and her and nothing else mattered. 'But now's not the time.' Alice thought to herself.

"I'll tell you later. Promise." She said. And it was good enough for him. He nodded and they made their way to the backyard. And indeed, there was Evan in his cake-covered "glory" with chocolate smeared on his shirt and cake smeared across his face.

"You want anything?" Joe asked, gesturing to the long table full of anything you can imagine from cake to brownies to ice cream.

"Sure." She said. Joe got a piece of Mrs. Prescott's infamous apple pie while Alice chose to go with a plateful of watermelon.

"Here, I have an idea. Follow me!" Joe said, walking around to the other side of the house. He stopped at his window and grabbed Alice's plate, holding it in his free hand. "Okay. Climb on the windowsill." He said nonchalantly like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Excuse me?" Alice asked incredulously.

"Climb on the windowsill." He said, again in the same everyday tone like he was talking about the weather. Alice just gave him a look that said 'Are you joking'. Joe shook his head and sighed. "Just trust me, okay? You'll love it, I promise." He said. "Now climb." He said, gesturing to the windowsill with his hands. Alice shook her head but obliged because... it was Joe Lamb. She trusted him. Once she was standing securely on the window, she looked down at him.

"Okay, now what?" She asked.

"Now jump on the roof." He said.

"What?"

"Jump. On. The. Roof." He said slowly. She rolled her eyes and shook her head but did as instructed anyway. It was a lot easier than she thought.

"Okay, I'm up. Now hand me the plates." She called down to him. He handed her the plates and jumped on the window to the roof, pulling himself up. She laughed and took a bite out of her watermelon, swallowing it before smiling at him. "Here, follow me." Joe said, grabbing her free hand and dragging her to the other side of the roof. She couldn't help but giggle from happiness as he dragged her to the side facing the backyard.

"Joe! What if someone sees us!" She whispered as they sat down near the peak. He shrugged and ate a forkful of his pie.

"Sometimes you gotta take risks. Besides, my dad doesn't care, and the tables can't see up here. Nobody will see us, except maybe the guys." He said, pointing to where the only table that had a view of the roof was. Alice nodded and took another bite of watermelon.

"I love it, you know. Watermelon. It's my favorite." She said. Joe turned to look at her.

"Really?" He asked. She responded by taking another huge bite and nodding. He laughed and she smiled.

"My favorite is apple pie. Obviously." He said, referring to his half eaten pie. They ate the rest of their dessert in silence. It wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable, natural silence.

"I'm glad I met you." Alice said once they were all done and finished.

"I'm glad I met you too. It's funny, you know? Charles is the reason we know each other." Joe said, looking down at the table. It looked like they were arguing. Again. He smiled fondly.

"Yeah, it is. So, we start high school next year. You excited?" Alice asked. Joe nodded.

"Yeah. Four more years and I can say goodbye to Lillian for good." Joe said, laying back on the roof tiles. Alice laid back next to him, her golden blond hair fanning out around her.

"Where do you want to go once you graduate?" She asked, turning to look at him. He sighed, looking up at the stars that were starting to dot the night sky.

"Honestly? I don't know. I'm thinking about going to an art school or something. I don't know, that's what I'd like to do anyway. And what about you? What does the future hold for you, Alice Dainard?" He asked, now turning to look at her. It was her time to sigh and look up.

"I don't know. I don't have a talent or potential. Maybe I'll go to some acting school in the heart of New York City, but truthfully, the thought of anything after high school... it scares me." She admitted, looking at him again.

"Whatever you do, it'll be great. I know that. You'd make a great actress one day." He said. She smiled and sat up, he followed suit.

"You know, this may sound weird or whatever, but being with you is like..."

"Natural?" He suggested, finishing her sentence. She nodded.

"Exactly. Natural. I've never had that with anyone else before." She said, looking at him. He nodded, smiling.

"Me either."

A burst of light and a high pitched noise caught their attention. Alice cautiously crawled closer to the edge of the roof. Joe followed behind, sitting near the edge.

"Looks like the fireworks are starting." She said, her voice distant and distracted. Joe nodded in agreement, watching as the different bursts of light and color shot up into the sky. They lit up against the black sky like paint splattering against a pitch black canvas. And it was amazing. This is why everyone loved the 4th of July. The barbeques, the fireworks, and the watermelon. It was just a magical, summer feeling watching fireworks shoot up and spark and burst into colors. It had been a good 10 minutes before Joe saw Cary run across the yard.

"Get ready for the finale everyone!" He heard the blonde pyromaniac yell. He chuckled and looked over at Alice as she smiled at him before turning back to look at the explosives. Cary bent down and quickly set up a bunch of fireworks before igniting them with his trusty old lighter before running away as fast as he could.

Red and blue and green and purple bursts into the sky.

"Whoa." Alice said, amazed. Joe had to admit, it was pretty amazing. These were the types of fireworks you only saw at official town firework shows.

"I have no idea how Cary even got his hands on those, but I don't care." Joe said. Alice laughed. Joe turned to look at Alice and smiled. He watched as she looked up in pure awe and amusement, the colors shading her face in their brightness. Her eyes sparkled and shined and glimmered and she seemed so child-like and innocent in that moment. Her face lit up into a smile with each burst and crackle, and she giggled and grinned in glee. And suddenly, Joe was hooked. He was more interested in Alice than he was in the fireworks.

It was so... Alice, to be so captivated by fireworks. Everything she did just drew him in more. The way she bit her lip drove him absolutely insane. The way she could be so child like, yet have the hard, cold posterior she often showed. The way she smiled just put a smile on Joe's face. The way her eyes could show anything she wanted, from her feelings to her cold front, it was all displayed in those big beautiful blue-green eyes. The way she let him in... everything she did made him fall just that much more. And he didn't mind it one bit.

"Alice." He said. She turned towards him, tearing her eyes from the display of explosives.

"Yeah?"

"You still never told me who you like." He said. She blushed and looked away, biting her lip again before looking up at him through her long, thick eyelashes.

"You really wanna know?" She asked. He nodded. She sighed before looking up at Joe. And instead of using words, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He immediately responded, kissing her back. And they both didn't care about the fireworks anymore. It was Joe and Alice and the rest of the world just melted away. Nothing existed besides the two of them.

Alice leaned back on the roof, grabbing Joe's shirt and pulling him on top of her. Due to lack of oxygen, Alice broke the kiss. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You." She said breathlessly.

"What?"

"You. I like you." She said. He just laughed and leaned down and kissed her again.

"Hey everybody! Look on the roof! Joe and Alice sitting on the roof, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up Cary!"

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**A.N.- Okay, officially the longest chapter I have ever written. 7,000 words. I feel accomplished. I've been working on this for a good five hours, the LEAST y'all can do is review. And yes, I know it'd be kinda impossible to 1) play football in a dress and 2) go on a swing in a dress, BUT IT IS CALLED FAN FICTION, LET IT BE PEOPLE! I'm not a miracle worker. And yes, I made Chrles get all angry, BECAUSE I CAN. Plus, it fits his character. And yes, when I switched 3rd P.O.V. between Alice and Joe without labeling it. I thought it was pretty clear, so... and it flowed, you can tell who's P.O.V. and when, so, I thought it was cool. I will update as soon as I can. REMEMBER, I LOVE YOU ALL! So... HEY, I JUST WROTE THIS, CHAPTER FFFFFOOOOORRRR YOU! IT TOOK ME HOURS, SO REVIEW IT MAYBE? (Ha, I even made Call Me Maybe into a plead for you to review, so do it. PLEASE. :3) Okay, BYE:)**


	4. A Date in the Field is a Day in the Rain

**So, since this got a lot more reviews, I decided to update earlier than expected. Oh, by the way, I was nominated for an award on here for one of my Super 8 stories. No big deal or anything, just thought I'd tell you all:) My one-shot Fix You was nominated for best one-shot of the year. You can find out more about the Super Awards 2012 by going to the forums under this category. It's called The Super Awards. Nominate people, vote for people, check it out! There's also a link on my profile. Now enjoy the OFFICIAL chapter 3 of Special:)**

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And our love story coninues the day after the barbeque. I bet you thought everything was set in stone, over and done, and I had skipped the good part. But let me tell you, the best is yet to come...

Joe Lamb reluctantly got up the morning after the barbeque. He walked groggily to the kitchen, his feet dragging against the carpet, attempting to rub the sleep ffrom his eyes. It was a Saturday, not that it really mattered. He found a note on the table from his father. It was the usual, "Had to head into work early, don't forget to feed the dog.". He crumpled it up and threw it in the trash before heading into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. But before he could even open the fridge, the phone rang. He walked over, wondering who in their right mind would be calling his house at 9 in the morning?

"Hello?" He asked, slightly annoyed at whoever was on the other line.

"Joe? It's, uh, it's Alice. Did I disturb you, or...?" He heard a soft and quiet voice say. He suddenly remembered the previous days' events and immediately snapped awake.

"Oh, no, I'm wide awake. What's up?" He asked, trying to make up for his previous tone. How could he have forgotten.

"Oh, well I was wondering, that maybe if you weren't doing anything today, you'd wanna... hang out?" She asked. He could sense the nervousness and hesitant layers of her voice. He nodded absentmindedly anyway to answer her, before realizing she couldn't see him. "Oh, uh, yeah, that sounds great. I'll meet you at your house in a few minutes, okay?" He asked.

"Okay, bye Joe." She said, hanging up the phone. He put it down and rushed to get ready. It may sound weird, but even after everything that had happened the day before, they weren't necessarily official. Martin's mom had gone into a panic attack after Cary pointed out that they were on the roof. She demanded they come down before someone got hurt, and Martin's mom really knew how to nag someone, so they didn't bother resisting. Right after they got down, Mr Dainard came and took Alice and that was that.

Joe nervously got ready, going through every little scenario in his mind, from the best to the worst. The best would be him asking her if he could take her out on a date and she would say yes and everything would be good. The worst is that when he asked her, she would say no and laugh. He tried not to think about it as he quickly fed Lucy and rushed out the door, hopping on his bike and speeding over to Alice's.

Upon arriving, he through his bike to the ground haphazardly, the wheels still spinning. He took a deep breath before walking up the front steps to the porch. He raised a nervous hand and knocked on the door three times. It felt like he was standing there, waiting to see who would answer for an eternity, when in reality it was only about 30 seconds. And luckily, the person behind the door had long blonde hair and gentle blue eyes. He smiled as she stepped out of her house. She wore jean shorts and a simple blue top with white flowers on it. It was such a simple ensemble, but yet again, Alice made something so simple look perfectly beautiful.

"Hey Alice." He said as she shut the door, locking it with her key. She turned around, smiling.

"Hi Joe. Um, I was thinking we could go somewhere. If that's okay with you..." She said, looking up at him through her thick, long eyelashes.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He said. They walked off the porch steps side by side.

"So... yesterday was fun." Alice said.

"Yeah, it was. I'm glad you and your dad decided to come." He said as they headed towards the outskirts of town.

"Me too. Usually, we just sit around the house. My dad's not the type to really celebrate holidays." Alice said quietly. Joe nodded and there was a silence. It wasn't exactly an awkward silence, but it wasn't entirely comfortable either. It was a silence that needed to be filled. And Joe knew what he had to say. He just didn't know the words to say it. He stopped and exhaled, frustrated with himself. Alice stopped beside him and turned fully towards him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Joe looked at her. Confusion and curiosity filled her eyes an her head tilted slightly to the right. Joe ran through everything he could say, from the cheesy cliche lines to the simple, yet effective ones, but he just didn't know what to say. Before he knew it, the words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think about what he was saying.

"I like you Alice. A lot. Obviously, or I wouldn't have kissed you. And from everything that happened yesterday, I'm pretty sure you like me too. And this is awkward for me, I'm kind of new at this, so I don't really know what to say. But I guess what I'm trying to say is... Alice, will you be my girlfriend?" Joe rambled nervously. He looked down at Alice with hope in eyes and uncertainty in his stomach.

Alice smiled at him. In the short time she had known Joe Lamb, she knew one thing. He wasn't good with words. But she found that his nervous rambling was one of the little quirks she had grown quite fond of in the past few weeks. She laughed and nodded, smiling like an idiot, but not even caring. "Yes, Joe. I'd love to be your girlfriend." She watched as he let out a sigh of relief and she inwardly laughed.

"Good. I tend to ramble when I'm nervous." He said as they started walking again.

"I've noticed." Alice said, looking over at him. She found he was already looking at her and she smiled before turning away. She felt his hand wrap around hers and her smile grew, if that was possible.

"So, where are we going?" Joe asked. They were near the edge of town. Joe had only been there a handful of times. Alice, on the otherhand, was quite familiar with the place.

"We, are going to my favorite place in this whole town." She answered happily, swinging their arms back and forth slightly. He looked over at her and he couldn't help but smile at her happiness.

"And where exactly is that?" He asked, slightly amused by joyful attitude. Before he had known Alice, like, really known her, she had always come off a bit... cold. She came off that way to everyone. It was a front she put up, he knew that now.

"Oh, you'll see. We're almost there." She said. And they walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. It was new to them both. Being able to be with someone, and doing just that. No words needed, just two people, being with each other. And they liked it. It was as natural as breathing, it came like second nature to them. They didn't have to put up an unnapproachable posterior or the unopinionated act, they could just be Joe Lamb and Alice Dainard, and they found it amazing.

Alice let go of Joe's hand and veered off to the left, walking towards the trees. Joe stood there and watched her, confused as to why she was walking towards them in the first place. Alice turned around, noticing his absence.

"Well, are you coming?" She asked before ducking into the trees and vanishing in the branches and leaves. Joe shook his head but folloed her steps nonetheless. This girl would never fail to interest him, he was sure of that. He walked into the trees, and Alice was still nowhere to be found.

"Alice?"

"Over here!" He heard from straight ahead. He followed the direction from where her voice had come from until suddenly the trees were behind him. In front of him lay a hill that rolled and rolled all the way down to a field. The field was dotted with flowers ranging from every color of the rainbow, and here and there cherry blossom trees were scattered, the flowers on them looking unrealistically beautiful. The petals were a gentle pink and they were shaped to utter perfection. And running right across the field was a creek. It wasn't exactly a stream, yet it wasn't exactly a river. Whatever it was, it looked pristine and crystal clear, the flowing water was the same color of Alice's eyes. It bended right around the edge of the field and disappeared into the forest that lay at the edge. The forest lined the whole way around, boxing in the little field. It looked like it belonged in a dream, like it wasn't possible for somewhere so perfect to exist. But here it was, unfolded right before his eyes.

And there was Alice, at the bottom of the winding hill, sitting in a branch of a cherry blossom tree. Joe smiled. She reminded him of a fairy with her long golden hair and her pale, delicate skin, her legs swinging back and forth as she gestured for him to come to her. He complied, walking down the hill and towards the tree.

"How did you find this place?" He asked her, leaning against the thin trunk of the tree. She shrugged before hopping onto her feet, landing on the balls of them, gracefully, and turning to face him.

"I just stumbled upon it. It was raining, so I decided to go for a walk." She said, sitting in the grass among the blue and white wildflowers. Joe moved and sat across from her.

"In the rain?" He asked incredulously, quirking an eyebrow at her. She nodded in all seriousness.

"Of course. I love the rain, especially walking in it. Call me crazy, I guess. I've always loved it. I feel like when it runs down my skin, it washes away all my problems and worries. Anyway, that's how I found it. Nobody really knows this place. That's one of the reasons why I love it so much. It's my own little secret, fenced in and hidden away from the world. It seems so surreal though. It's beautiful. And it doesn't seem like something so beautiful and secretive could exist in this world." She said, laying on her back. Her hair faned around her as she stared up at the sky, smiling. And Joe couldn't help but smile.

The more he unraveled the mystery that was Alice Dainard, the more hooked he was. The more things he learned, the more drawn in he was. And he wouldn't have it any other way. He moved beside her and laid on his back as well, looking up. The sky was a color somewhere between blue and gray, a blend of the two. The clouds where a mix of white and gray, not exactly 100% of each color but more like a combination of the two.

"I used to lay here and stare up at the clouds and try to pick out what they looked like. Like that one, over there, see?" Alice said, pointing to one all the way to the left. "That reminds me of a fish." She said, turning her head to face him. He smiled over at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know, I didn't have a lot of friends. So I'd come here and try to pass the time doing little things like that. For example..." She said, trailing off and sitting up. She crawled towards the flowers that sat a few feet away and started plucking a few out of the ground. Joe sat up and watched as she did this. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth slightly, unconsciously, as she picked the lilies and the daisies and the petunias. She gathered a bunch of them in her hand and ran to the edge of the forest lining. She surveyed the ground before bending down, picking something up, and running back over.

She sat down and spread her collected items around her. She had a long twig of some sort and numerous flowers. Joe watched as she bent the twig into a circle, tying it at the end to make it stay in shape. She thentook the stems of the flowers and weaved them into the twig. He smiled as a strand of her hair fell in her face as she worked. He gently brushed it aside. She paused her work to look up at him and smile before continuing. Moments later, she handed it to him.

"Finished. I learned how to do this a while back. It's sloppy since I rushed, but it helps pass the time along." She said, leaning back on her hands as she gauged for his reaction. Joe examined her handiwork. It was quite impressive. She had made something similar to a headband out of a twig and flowers. It was pretty too. The flowers were expertly weaved and stayed in place. He looked up at her.

"This is really good." He said. She shrugged and blushed, looking down as she picked at the grass.

"It's nothing. A hobby, really." She said. He just smiled and leaned foward, placing the headband on her head. She looked up at him and smiled as her han wandered to her head. She felt the headband on her head and smiled wider.

"It suits you. You look pretty." He said. She laughed and lowered her hand, feeling the heat once again creep up her neck and spread accross her cheeks.

"Thank you." She said.

A loud crack of thunder boomed across the vast sky and Alice felt raindrops fall, pelting her skin with their icy coolness. She smiled and rushed to her feet, looking up at the sky. It had turned completely gray, covered by dark clouds. She laughed with giddyness as she lifted her arms out to the side. The rain came down harder and her smile got wider and she spun around, laughing from complete, utter happiness. She felt her hair getting soaked and her skin turning cold and her clothes were starting to stick but there was ntohing she enjoyed more. She spun around some more, laughing and smiling and forgetting everything. She forgot about everything bad in her life and she was finally, peacefully carefree. She looked up to the sky once more before looking back at Joe. He was sitting there, watching her with a smile on his face. She laughed and flung her arms out and looked to the sky, spinning around and around. This is what she loved. There was nthing like thunderstorms in July.

Joe sat there, watching Alice in all her gleefulness and pleasure. And he himself couldn't contain the laughter and smiles. He had never seen her like this before, so carefree and relaxed and loose. He watched as she spun and danced in the rain and he couldm't help but think of what Alice must've been like as a little girl. He could just picture it now. A little girl with bright blue eyes, pale skin, and honey-colored hair, wearing a headband of flowers, dancing in the rain. He watched her now spinning in happiness and he had never thought of a moment before where she had been so beautiful. She was. Right there and then is the one moment Joe could say he saw how truly beautiful Alice Dainard really was.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dull sky. Alice slowed to a stop and made her way over to Joe, walking in a zig-zag, obviously dizzy from all the spinning. She giggled and plopped down. She smiled and she couldn't remember a time as of lastely when she had felt happier. She sighed out of content and looked up at Joe. He had a look of pure amusement on his face.

"Did you find that entertaining?" She asked teasingly, trying to get the hair to stop sticking to her bare skin as the rain started falling harder.

"I have to admit, that was fairly interesting." He said, chuckling. She giggled and removed the headband from her hair, knowing it was probably ruined. "But most of all, I thought it was... beautiful." He said. She looked at him.

"Really?" She asked. He nodded, smiling slightly, a tinge of pink shading his cheeks. The cold feeling she had from the freezing rain was immediately replaced with warmth that spread through her body. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek before pulling back and looking down shyly. She sneaked a glance at him to see that the pink had turned to a deeper shade and she felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Joe stood up as another bolt of lightning tore across the sky.

"We should get going. As much as I'd like to stay-." Thunedr rang out, echoing loudly throughout the field. "It's becoming a bit dangerous." He said, chuckling. Alice nodded, and stood up beside him.

"Yeah, that would be for the best." She said. Joe intertwined his fingers with her and they made their way home.

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**A.N.- I swear, that chapter was so cliche and sappy and cheesy, that'll keep y'all full til I get back from Europe. I SWEAR, I was going to write more, but readers for a more popular story got over-demanding. Like, they were about to form an angry mob and lynch me. So I spoiled them, wrote them a chapter, BUT I PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE FOR WHAT THEY DID! I hope you all understand, I AM A TEENAGE GIRL THAT NEEDS TO JUGGLE HER FRIENDS, BOYFRIEND, AND CHEER PRACTICE. I find time for you guys, just please understand if it's not my number one priority to please you. I have my own life, my own schedule, and I write for my pleasure, joy, and leisure, not SOLELY TO FULFILL YOUR SUPER 8 JALICE CRAVINGS. Anyway, sorry for going over board with the fluff. It was a full fledged fluff fest. Review, please. I leave for Europe in 6 hours, and I stayed up to write this for you. So please, least you can do is review since I just royally screwed myself over for y'all. And remember, my lovely readers, LA VIE BOHEME!**


	5. The Storm Wasn't Even The Worst Part

**A.N.- GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM EUROPE? THIS GIRL! So, here's chapter 4 of Special. Enjoy:)**

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You didn't really think I was going to leave you with that crappy ending, did you? Oh boy, do I have more in store for you...

They finally got back to Joe's house, drenched to the bone. They walked up the stairs and under the awning, finally sheltered from the pouring rain. Joe looked over at Alice. Her blond hair was darker from the water, her clothes were completely soaked to her body, but she was still smiling. He shook his head and let a smile fall onto his features. Until he saw something move in the corner of his eye. Charles was peeking out the window, staring straight at the two of them from his house across the street. Once he saw Joe looking over, he closed the curtains and disappeared from view.

"What are you staring at?" Alice asked, turning around to look in the direction of the Kaznyk's. A slight frown appeared on her face. It looked out of place there, like a rose in a field of sunflowers. It didn't belong. She turned back around and looked at Joe with her blue eyes, full of concern ad questioning. Joe just shook his head, reaching under the "Welcome" mat to get the key.

"It was nothing. I thought I saw somebody." He said, jiggling the key in the keyhole. He was rewarded with a click as the door opened. He ushered Alice inside and shut the door behind him. Alice reached up and felt her hair, which was definitely more than damp.

"Here. I'll go get some old clothes of mine for you." Joe said. He reached into the closet and pulled out two towels. He handed one to Alice. He then ran to his room, which, needless to say, was still a mess. He pulled out some old sweatpants and an old T-shirt for Alice. He picked out some clothes for himself too before running back to where Alice was.

"Um, bathroom's down the hall, to the left." He said. She nodded and smiled faintly.

"Thanks Joe." She said, walking down to the bathroom. He heard the door shut and quickly went to his own room to change. He quickly changed and was out in less than a minute. He sat on the couch and waited patiently. However, his mind was buzzing at a mile a minute. He couldn't stop thinking about Charles looking out the window at him like that. It was kind of creepy, and now, he couldn't shake the feeling that Charles was watching him. He didn't have time to go any further into thought then because the bathroom door swung open and out walked Alice. Her long blonde hair was in a braid over her shoulder, and the clothes hung loosely over her tiny, delicate frame. She looked adorable.

Alice plopped down next to Joe on the couch, huffing out a breath. She turned and looked over at him. "It was Charles, wasn't it. You saw Charles." She said. He looked over at her. He thought about lying and saying he didn't, but what was the point. So he just nodded.

"Yeah. He was looking at us through the window. I haven't had a chance to talk to him since last night." He admitted, running a hand through his damp hair. Alice bit her lip and looked down, tracing circles on the material of the couch.

"He really doesn't like me, does he?" She asked quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. She sounded upset, and she didn't look too happy either. Joe just shook his head again, watching her.

"No, it's not that. Charles doesn't like that you like me. It's a long, complicated story. He'll get over it." Joe reassured her, putting his hand on top of hers. She smiled up at him, her blue eyes regaining that spark. He smiled and shifted to turn towards her even more.

"You know, I've never seen this side of Alice Dainard." He said. Her hand immediately stopped and she looked up at him.

"Is that good thing or bad thing?" She asked worriedly. He just chuckled.

"I like this side, trust me." He said, looking her straight in the eye. She smiled.

"I do. You know, you're pretty damn special if I'm showing you this side of me." She said slyly, putting a complete poker face on. He looked at her, eyebrows arched, highly amused by her.

"Oh really, is that so?" He asked sarcastically. She turned to face him and nodded, face completely emotionless. They held eye contact for a full 5 seconds before she burst into a fit of laughter and collapsed backwards into the couch. He smiled and sat back too. She finally stopped laughing and looked over at him. Her eyes traveled down to where his hand lay next to hers. She grabbed it an intertwined their fingers, picking their hands up and examining it.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked him, playing with his fingers. He nodded. "At first, I thought you were a total snitch. You know, being a deputy's dad and all. And I thought you'd be really quiet, never joking or cussing or anything. And at first, you were. And then I met the real Joe. And I liked that Joe. I still do." She said, pausing to smile up at him. He smiled back and she resumed her interest in their hands. "And Joseph Lamb, I'm so glad I was wrong about you." Alice said, letting go of their hands and looking him in the eye. Her blue eyes met his brown ones and they held their stare.

Alice loved the color of his eyes. They were amber. She decided it right then and there. Not brown or chocolate or mocha or caramel. Amber. Everybody always talked about how pretty blue eyes were, and how beautiful they were, but Alice didn't see anything special in them. It was a mutation somewhere in history. But brown eyes, those are the eyes that are beautiful and pretty. She was envious. Not that she'd ever admit it, but she was.

Joe felt Alice's eyes boring into his. He didn't mind in the slightest though. He loved her eyes. Other than her smile and carefree persona, it was one of his favorite things about her. They were their own shade of blue. Not the shade of the sky or the sea. They deserved their very own color. That shade of blue should've been what everybody compared anything that was blue to. Because they were beautiful. They had the tiniest hint of green in them, but not so much that it transformed the color into teal. Her eyes were still perfectly blue. And they had a spark in them. A spark only Alice could have.

And Joe couldn't help but lean in and press his lips onto hers. Alice's eyes were wide with surprise but once she realized what he was doing, she immediately responded. Her eyes fluttered shut and she kissed him back as hard as she could. He broke away a few seconds later. She whined at the loss of contact and he lightly laughed.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"Nothing. It was for nothing at all." He said simply. She looked up at him again and smiled. She cuddled into his side. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"Spontaneous, I see? I like it." She said, giggling. He laughed with her.

"Hey Joe?"

"Yeah Alice?"

"How did you and the rest of the guys meet? I know that you've been best friends with Charles since kindergarten, but what about Cary and Martin and Preston?" Alice asked.

"It's actually a funny story. I met Charles on our first day in kindergarten. Cary moved a week after that. We met him because he lit a stack of papers on fire in the classroom. Then he blamed it on Martin and Preston. And after that, the five of us were inseparable." I told the short story. Alice laughed and sat up.

"You know, as much as I've loved this, I really should get back. My dad's getting off early and he wants to go out to lunch." Alice said. Joe nodded and stood up, offering his hand. She gladly took it and he helped her up. They looked out the window to see that the rain had stopped, leaving a cloudy, gray sky.

"At least the rain stopped." Joe said. Alice nodded. She grabbed her wet clothes and shoved them in a plastic bag. "I'll walk you home. And before you say anything, it's not a bother. I have to stop somewhere anyway." He said, seeing she was about to protest. She blushed and turned away, walking out of the house. He followed right behind her. They had a good walk to her house, full of jokes and laughter. They finally got to her house after about a good 15 minutes. The old yellow Skylark was nowhere to be found, but, Joe's old bike still lay strewn in the yard.

"Oh, I left that here. Right." He said. Alice turned around to face him completely.

"I had a great time Joe. Thanks for everything." She said.

"I had a great time too." He said. Alice looked up from the ground and at his eyes. She quickly stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away and walking up the stairs.

"Hey!" Joe called. Alice stopped, hand on the door, and turned around. "I'll be seeing ya." He said. Alice grinned before disappearing into the house. Joe just smiled and shook his head. Alice Dainard was a girl of many surprises, that was for sure. He climbed on his bike and pedaled back to the other side of town. It was time. He couldn't put it off any longer.

He skidded to a stop and threw his bike carelessly on the ground, wheels still spinning. He walked up the pathway and to the front door, where he knocked three times. The door swung open to reveal none other than Jen.

"Oh, Charles' little friend. He's in his room." She said, opening the door all the way to let him in.

"Thanks." Joe mumbled, walking past everybody and straight down the hallway. He didn't even bother knocking on the door. He just opened it and walked inside. And of course, Charles was sitting there, by the window.

"I said not now Mo-" Charles said, turning around, a surprised expression adorning his features, followed quickly by one of anger. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Charles, look man, we need to talk, whether you want to or not." Joe said, leaning his back against the door and crossing his arms. Charles just sneered and turned back around in the chair.

"I said everything I had to say to you at the party last night." He said, obviously annoyed.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make things work. You're the one making everything complicated." Joe said, holding his hands up as if surrendering.

"Complicated? There's nothing complicated about this! It's simple! You'd chose her over me! You already did!" Charles yelled.

"Who said I was choosing her over you! Why can't I have my best friend and my girlfriend? You're making everyone's life harder Charles!" Joe yelled back. He came here trying to resolve the situation, not dig himself in deeper.

"I saw you with her! Face it, if she comes into your life, it's always gonna be Alice this, Alice that! Alice is always gonna come first and you won't even think twice about the rest of us!" Charles yelled, getting angrier with each sentence.

"It's not going to be like that!" Joe shouted.

"You say that now, Joe, you say that **NOW!" **Charles yelled before storming out of his own room and down the hall. Joe followed him all the way outside when he finally caught up to him. The sun was starting to come out, peeking through the white clouds above. Joe grabbed Charles shoulder and stopped him, turning him around.

"But it won't be! I don't understand what your problem is!" Joe yelled.

"My problem is that you're too busy getting all mushy with Dainard!" Charles yelled.

"Really, because I don't think that's what it is! Even if that **is **what it is, you're the one making me choose!" Joe yelled. This just seemed to infuriate Charles further.

"You're right! I'm making you choose between us and her! Because I don't want to be a second choice to some bubble-headed blondie who can't freaking learn to stay away and keep her hands off what's not hers! First she steals the glory of my movie, then she steals my best friend, who knows what she'll steal next! Look out guys, Criminal Barbie on the loose!" Charles screamed at the top of his lungs. And that got to Joe. That really did. And he couldn't control himself. He launched himself full speed at Charles, knocking him down to the ground. He pinned him onto the ground, wound his fist back, and whammed it into Charles' jaw.

"Nobody talks about Alice like that!" Joe yelled in rage. He pulled his fist back again, only for it to be caught by someone else's. Joe looked back to see Alice Dainard. Her bike was strewn on the lawn next to his, a plastic bag lay on the ground next to her feet, and she had a pleading look in her eyes.

"He's not even worth it Joe." Alice said. Joe's body relaxed and he got to his feet, backing away from Charles and taking his hand back from Alice. Charles stood too, holding his jaw. He looked at the two of them with a look that could kill.

"We're not friends anymore." Charles said directly to Joe before he turned around and walked into his house, head held high. The door slammed shut and the street was silent again. Joe turned to Alice.

"I'm sorry. I just... couldn't help myself." He said, ashamed of his behavior.

"I heard what he said. And yeah, it was wrong to attack him, but... thank you." Alice said, quietly, looking at the ground. Her eyes were full of hurt again and she exhaled, squeezing them shut. Joe grabbed her hand and held it, using the other to lift up her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked at him.

"None of it was true. Don't believe a word of it." He said. She smiled halfheartedly and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her too and held her close. However, the sweet moment did not last very long.

"Joseph Lamb, what the hell did you just do."

* * *

**A.N.- So, who do you think said that last line. DUH DUH DUH DUN! Guess you'll just have to find out next chapter:) AND YES, JOE WAS OOC. BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED THIS WHOLE STORY IS A WEE BIT OOC. Like, Alice is a hippie and Joe is growing a spine. Because I said so. It is called Fiction for a reason people. Could've been worse. I could've made, like, Charles gay for Joe. Not that I don't love gay people. I live in the 3rd gayest town in the country. It's just, it'd be a WEE BIT OOC for Charles. ANYWAYS... So review please! It makes me write quicker! I only got one for my last chapter:( AND I WORKED SO HARD ON IT! So do it, because they make me happy, an I said please, an I'll give you an imaginary dinosaur named Marcel. BYE:)**


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